Which leads to mistakes, that can often scar your babies for life. 

1. Pet parents often mistakenly think that the personalities of their pets are set for life.

Pets, especially those who have been adopted from shelters might be suffering from multiple mental issues, like abandonment and may not trust humans as much. 

This attitude is likely to change once new parents spend an adequate amount of time with them. 

2. People often overfeed their pets without realising that it can lead to serious health issues. 

Chunky puppers and cattos are amazing! We get it.

 But overfeeding your pet can often lead to obesity and arthritis at an early age, along with multiple other disorders. So keep the treats in check. 

3. Most new pet parents believe that their puppies are too small to train. 

If you have bought your pet from a professional breeder, then it’s highly likely that he/she is about 8 weeks old. But he/she is definitely not too young to train.

Start off with simpler exercises like walking with a leash and respond to commands like sit, stand etc. 

4. Pet owners often mistake their dogs’ stubborn behaviour as rude but more often than not, it stems from fear. 

If your dog is not responding to you while on a leash, or if he/she refuses to move and drags you back, it might just mean that they are scared of something. 

Don’t punish them. They can’t speak. So it’s your job to find out and take care of it. 

5. Owners of Labradors and Golden Retrievers often assume that their dogs would automatically be friendly.

Often pet parents assume that the dogs like Labradors and Golden Retrievers would be friendly towards other dogs and kids. Well, they are, if only they have socialised well as puppies. 

Similarly, new German Shepherd owners often think that the breed is aggressive. No. They will grow up to be whatever you train them to be. 

6. Giving frequent baths, even during summers can lead to the destruction of skin tissues of your pet. 

We can understand that your pets like to be dirty. They are animals. That’s what they do. But if you give them frequent baths because of their body odour, you’re doing more harm than good. 

It can irritate the skin, damage hair follicles, and increase the risk of bacterial or fungal infections.

7. Not drying your pet properly after a bath can lead to fungal infections on your pet’s skin. 

Both cats and dogs need proper drying everytime they get wet. Owners often don’t put in as much effort on drying as they do on bathing them. 

This can lead to serious fungal infections if you’re not careful. 

8. When owners give their pets a bath, they often forget to check the water temperature. 

If the water is too hot or too cold, it might lead to an increased heart rate which can put a strain on their hearts, especially with older or unwell pets. 

9. It is true that dogs need a lot of outdoor time but it doesn’t mean that they need to stay there all the time. 

Sure, pets don’t like to be leashed in and want to play outdoors as much as they want. But they also need shelter and human contact as much as possible. 

So keeping your pet outdoors for hours at an end is a terrible idea. It affects their psyche and can force behavioural changes. 

10. Pampering your pets is nice but an untrained pet can be a menace. 

Owners often find their pets’ mischief endearing, and let them off the hook without training. 

The problem is that both dogs and cats are highly intelligent animals and they need to be challenged constantly. They also need to be tired out or that pent-up energy ends up being the downfall of your shoes and sofas etc. 

11. Pet parents often believe that their pets do not need to brush their teeth. Well, they do!

Everyone needs to get their teeth brushed. Period. 

With your pets, it should be 3 times a week at least or plaque can build up, putting them at risk for bad breath, gum disease, and tooth decay. It can also cause painful infections.

12. Dogs love bones but giving them in excess as a part of their everyday meal can cause serious damage to their teeth and gums. 

Yes, your pets, especially dogs are extremely fond of bones. But even they do not require an excessive amount of it in their everyday diet. 

Smaller breeds, especially, have problems chewing leg pieces and it can cause serious damage to their teeth and gums. And if ingested improperly, they can also damage other internal organs. 

13. It has also been noticed that some pet parents give medicines like paracetamols to their pets when they detect slight fever. Do not ever do that. 

Human medicines are a big NO! This is just a matter of basic common sense. Our bodies are different, our anatomies different. 

So naturally, they react differently to medicines too. So if your pet has a little fever, get him checked. Giving him a Crocin might cause other problems!

14. Cats might be self-cleaning but they still need you to take care of their claws. 

Cats are extremely efficient when it comes to cleanliness. They are an independent species and can take care of themselves. 

Although, their claws need to be regularly clipped. Because, obviously they do not own a nail cutter, neither do they have the necessary skills. 

15. Pet parents often believe that all pet food is the same. They are not. Giving dog food to your cat simply doesn’t work!

Cats require higher levels of protein than dogs. They must have the amino acid called ‘taurine’ in their diet. 

Whereas dogs can actually make their own taurine. A cat eating food deficient in taurine can develop severe heart disease and other health problems.

So yeah. If you have a pet, we know you love them like your children. So why not treat them with the same kind of care!

Note: The above information has been sourced by speaking to veteranarians and experts in respective fields.